Communication apparatus and communication method

ABSTRACT

A communication apparatus executes authentication via wireless communication with a mobile device and, based on an authentication process, controls execution of a vehicle operation requested by a user. The communication apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect closure of a door of a vehicle, an authentication processing unit configured to determine, in response to detection of the closure of the door by the detection unit, whether a specific mobile device is inside the vehicle by executing a first authentication process corresponding to a vehicle operation for which a highest security is set, among a plurality of vehicle operations that can be requested by the user, and an execution unit configured to execute, when the authentication processing unit has determined that the specific mobile device is inside the vehicle, a requested vehicle operation requestable from an inside of the vehicle and included in the plurality of vehicle operations.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/070,510 filedOct. 14, 2020, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/382,284 filed Apr. 12, 2019, which claims the benefit of JapanesePriority Application No. 2018-096226 filed May 18, 2018. The disclosureof each of the prior applications is hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a communication apparatus mounted on avehicle and configured to execute an authentication process via wirelesscommunication with a mobile device, and a communication method using thecommunication apparatus.

2. Description of Related Art

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-108826 (JP2016-108826 A) discloses an electronic key system that controls lockingand unlocking of a door via wireless communication between an in-vehicleapparatus and a mobile device. The electronic key system disclosed in JP2016-108826 A is provided with a first channel, and a second channelhaving a carrier frequency different from that of the first channel anda bit rate higher than that of the first channel. A receiver of thein-vehicle apparatus restrains a crosstalk of an operation signal and aresponse signal, by receiving, on the first channel, the operationsignal transmitted from the mobile device based on the fact that anoperation unit of the mobile device has been operated, and by receiving,on the second channel, the response signal transmitted from the mobiledevice in response to a request signal transmitted from the in-vehicleapparatus. In addition, in the electronic key system, responsiveness ofthe response signal is improved by setting the bit rate of the secondchannel to be higher than that of the first channel.

SUMMARY

A purpose of the electronic key system disclosed in JP 2016-108826 A isto improve responsiveness by increasing a bit rate. However, sinceincreasing the bit rate degrades noise resistance, there is a limit toimproving the responsiveness by increasing the bit rate.

It is therefore conceivable that the responsiveness to a request toexecute an operation that does not require high security is improved, bymaking the content of an authentication process to be executed when anoperation requiring high security, such as starting up a vehicle, isrequested different from the content of an authentication process to beexecuted when an operation not necessarily requiring high security, suchas locking a vehicle door, is requested.

However, even though the content of the authentication process to beexecuted when an operation not requiring high security is requested ismade different from the content of the authentication process to beexecuted when an operation requiring high security is requested, whenthe authentication process is executed every time an operation of thevehicle is requested by a user, responsiveness to the user's requestdeclines due to a time loss caused by the authentication process.

The present disclosure provides a communication apparatus and acommunication method that, when a vehicle operation is requested by theuser, can improve responsiveness to the request for the vehicleoperation, while ensuring security.

A communication apparatus according to a first aspect of the presentdisclosure executes authentication via wireless communication with amobile device, and, based on an authentication result, controlsexecution of a vehicle operation requested by a user. The communicationapparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect closure of adoor of a vehicle, an authentication processing unit configured todetermine, in response to detection of the closure of the door of thevehicle by the detection unit, whether a specific mobile device isinside the vehicle by executing a first authentication processcorresponding to a vehicle operation for which the highest security isset, among a plurality of vehicle operations that can be requested bythe user, and an execution unit configured to execute, when theauthentication processing unit determines that the specific mobiledevice is inside the vehicle, a requested vehicle operation that can berequested from an inside of the vehicle and that is included in theplurality of vehicle operations.

The communication apparatus according to the first aspect of the presentdisclosure executes, in response to detection of the closure of the doorof the vehicle, the first authentication process to determine whether itis possible to execute the vehicle operation for which the highestsecurity is set, and determines by the first authentication processwhether the specific mobile device is inside the vehicle. When it isdetermined by the first authentication process that the specific mobiledevice is inside the vehicle, the communication apparatus applies aresult of the first authentication process to any vehicle operation thatcan be requested from the inside of the vehicle, and executes therequested vehicle operation. In the communication apparatus, when it isdetermined by the first authentication process that the specific mobiledevice is inside the vehicle, since the authentication process is notrequired to be executed again when the vehicle operation is requested bythe user, the responsiveness to the user's request is improved. Inaddition, since this control process is based on the firstauthentication process corresponding to the vehicle operation for whichthe highest security is set, security can be ensured.

Further, the plurality of vehicle operations may include a door lockingoperation that locks the door of the vehicle from an outside of thevehicle. When it is determined by the first authentication process thatthe specific mobile device is not inside the vehicle and the doorlocking operation is requested, the authentication processing unit maydetermine whether the specific mobile device is outside the vehicle byexecuting a second authentication process different from the firstauthentication process. When it is determined by the secondauthentication process that the specific mobile device is outside thevehicle, the execution unit may execute the door locking operation forthe vehicle.

With this configuration, when the door locking operation is requestedand it is confirmed by the second authentication process that thespecific mobile device is outside the vehicle, door locking can beexecuted such that the responsiveness to the request for the doorlocking operation is improved.

When it is determined by the first authentication process that thespecific mobile device is inside the vehicle and the door lockingoperation is requested, the execution unit may output an alarm.

With this configuration, since it is determined by the firstauthentication process that the mobile device is inside the vehicle, theuser can be notified, by an alarm such as a buzzer, that the mobiledevice is left in the vehicle.

Moreover, the plurality of vehicle operations may include a vehiclestart-up operation that starts up the vehicle based on an operation of astart-up switch of the vehicle. When it is determined by the firstauthentication process that the specific mobile device is inside thevehicle and the vehicle start-up operation is requested, the executionunit may execute the vehicle start-up operation according to theoperation of the start-up switch of the vehicle, without executing anadditional process.

With this configuration, when it is determined by the firstauthentication process that the specific mobile device is inside thevehicle, it is possible to start up the vehicle with good responsivenessto the request for the vehicle start-up operation.

When it is determined by the first authentication process that thespecific mobile device is not inside the vehicle and the vehiclestart-up operation is requested, the execution unit may output an alarm.

With this configuration, since it is determined by the firstauthentication process that the specific mobile device is not inside thevehicle, the user can be notified, by an alarm such as a buzzer, of apossibility that an unauthorized start-up operation is being requested.

A communication method according to a second aspect of the presentdisclosure, by a communication apparatus, executes authentication viawireless communication with a mobile device, and, based on anauthentication result, controls execution of a vehicle operationrequested by a user. The communication method includes a step ofdetecting the closure of a door of a vehicle, a step of determiningwhether a specific mobile device is inside the vehicle by executing, inresponse to detection of the closure of the door of the vehicle, thefirst authentication process corresponding a vehicle operation for whicha highest security is set, among a plurality of vehicle operations thatcan be requested by the user, and a step of executing a requestedvehicle operation that can be requested from the inside of the vehicleand that is included in the plurality of vehicle operations when it isdetermined by the first authentication process that the specific mobiledevice is inside the vehicle.

The plurality of vehicle operations may include the door lockingoperation that locks the door of the vehicle from the outside of thevehicle. The communication method may further include a step ofdetermining whether the specific mobile device is outside the vehicle byexecuting a second authentication process different from the firstauthentication process when it is determined by the first authenticationprocess that the specific mobile device is not inside the vehicle andthe door locking operation is requested, and a step of executing thedoor locking operation of the vehicle when it is determined by thesecond authentication process that the specific mobile device is outsidethe vehicle.

The communication method may further include outputting an alarm when itis determined by the first authentication process that the specificmobile device is inside the vehicle and the door locking operation isrequested.

The plurality of vehicle operations may include a vehicle start-upoperation that starts up the vehicle based on an operation of a start-upswitch of the vehicle. The communication method may further include astep of executing the vehicle start-up operation without executing anadditional process when it is determined by the first authenticationprocess that the specific mobile device is inside the vehicle and thevehicle start-up operation is requested.

The communication method may further include a step of outputting analarm when it is determined by the first authentication process that thespecific mobile device is not inside the vehicle and the vehiclestart-up operation is requested.

With each aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide acommunication apparatus and a communication method that can ensuresecurity and improve responsiveness to a request for a vehicleoperation, when the vehicle operation is requested by a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denotelike elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a communication system accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control processexecuted by a communication apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a part of a controlprocess continued from the control process illustrated in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Overview

A communication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure determines whether an authorized mobile device is inside avehicle, by executing, in response to detection of closure of a door ofthe vehicle, a first authentication process for a vehicle operation forwhich a highest security is set (for example, a vehicle start-upoperation). When it is determined by the first authentication processthat the authorized mobile device is inside the vehicle and a vehicleoperation is requested, the communication system executes the requestedvehicle operation without executing the authentication process again.Since the authentication process is not executed again when the vehicleoperation is requested, responsiveness to the request for the vehicleoperation can be improved.

Embodiments

Configuration

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of a communicationsystem according to the embodiment.

The communication system 1 includes a communication apparatus 10 mountedon a vehicle, and a mobile device 20 carried by a user. Thecommunication system 1 is, for example, an electronic key systeminstalled in the vehicle. The communication apparatus 10 authenticatesthat the mobile device 20 is an authorized mobile device by executingwireless communication with the mobile device 20 and, based on anauthentication result, controls execution of a requested vehicleoperation.

The communication apparatus 10 includes a detection unit 11, anauthentication processing unit 12, an execution unit 13, and acommunication unit 14.

The detection unit 11 detects the closure of the door of the vehicle. Inthe present embodiment, based on an output signal of a courtesy switch30 (courtesy SW) provided near each door of the vehicle and configuredto detect an open-closed state of the door, the detection unit 11detects a change in the state of the door from an open state to a closedstate. The switch used as the courtesy switch 30 is, for example, aswitch having a contact point that is open when the door is in a closedstate and closed when the door is in an open state. Instead of using thecourtesy switch 30, the detection unit 11 may detect the closure of thedoor of the vehicle based on an output of another control device, suchas a body control Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that monitors whetherthe door is in an open or closed state based on the courtesy switch 30.

The authentication processing unit 12 executes authentication of themobile device 20 by communicating with the mobile device 20 via thecommunication unit 14 which will be described below. The authenticationprocessing unit 12 can execute at least the first authentication processand a second authentication process as processes to authenticate whetherthe mobile device 20 is authorized.

The first authentication process is an authentication process which isexecuted when a vehicle operation for which the highest security is setis requested among a plurality of vehicle operations that can beexecuted based on a request from a user carrying the mobile device 20.The vehicle operation for which the highest security is set is a vehicleoperation that may lead to an unauthorized use of the vehicle if anunauthorized user is permitted to execute the vehicle operation.Examples of the vehicle operation for which the highest security is setinclude a start-up of the vehicle based on an operation of a start-upswitch of the vehicle, or door unlocking from an outside of the vehicle.Therefore, a highly reliable authentication method that makes tamperingand impersonation difficult is employed for the first authenticationprocess.

The second authentication process is a process with the main purpose ofidentifying the mobile device 20, and is executed when a vehicleoperation, which has a low possibility to lead to an unauthorized use ofthe vehicle, is requested.

Both the first authentication process and the second authenticationprocess are executed based on information included in a response signaloutput from the mobile device 20 in response to an output signal(request signal) from the communication apparatus 10, and include atleast a process of checking unique identification information held bythe mobile device 20. As described above, the first authenticationprocess is executed when the vehicle operation that may lead to anunauthorized use of the vehicle (for example, starting up the vehicle ordoor unlocking from the outside of the vehicle) is requested. For thisreason, the first authentication process employs an authenticationsequence that, although requiring a processing time longer than thesecond authentication process, is highly reliable. A method of makingthe reliability of the first authentication process higher than that ofthe second authentication process is not particularly limited, but mayinclude, in addition to checking unique identification information heldby the mobile device 20, a method of making the number of communicationsbetween the communication apparatus 10 and the mobile device 20 in thefirst authentication process higher than the number of communicationstherebetween in the second authentication process, a method of includinginformation in which forgery or impersonation is difficult in theinformation transmitted and received between the communication apparatus10 and the mobile device 20, a method of making a frequency band that isused for a communication between the communication apparatus 10 and themobile device 20 in the first authentication process different from afrequency band that is used in the second authentication process, amethod of making an encryption strength in the first authenticationprocess higher than that in the second authentication process, and amethod of using a communication with another communication apparatus,such as a smart phone, in conjunction with the communication between thecommunication apparatus 10 and the mobile device 20. By combining theabove methods, the reliability of the first authentication process maybe improved.

The authentication processing unit 12 executes the first authenticationprocess when the closure of the door of the vehicle is detected by thedetection unit 11. Examples of the operation that is assumed to berequested by a user after the door of the vehicle is closed include anoperation that can be requested from an inside of the vehicle, such asstarting up the vehicle by operating the start-up switch of the vehicleor changing the seat position or meter color, and an operation that canbe requested from the outside of the vehicle, such as door locking. Inthe present embodiment, when the closure of the door of the vehicle isdetected, the authentication processing unit 12 executes the firstauthentication process associated with the vehicle operation for whichthe highest security is set, in consideration of the possibility thatthe user gets in the vehicle and executes the operation of starting upthe vehicle, for which the highest security is set. By executing thefirst authentication process, the authentication processing unit 12determines whether the authorized mobile device 20 is inside thevehicle. Further, when a specific vehicle operation such as a doorlocking operation is requested from the outside of the vehicle, theauthentication processing unit 12 determines whether the authorizedmobile device 20 is outside the vehicle by executing the secondauthentication process.

The execution unit 13 controls execution of the vehicle operationrequested by the user based on the result of the authentication processby the authentication processing unit 12. When the authenticationprocessing unit 12 determines by the first authentication process thatthe authorized mobile device 20 is inside the vehicle, the executionunit 13 executes the requested vehicle operation no matter which vehicleoperation among the plurality of vehicle operations that can berequested by the user from the inside of the vehicle is requested. Forexample, when it is determined by the first authentication process thatthe authorized mobile device 20 is inside the vehicle and the userrequests starting up of the vehicle by operating the start-up switch,the execution unit 13 requests a control device that controls theoperation of the vehicle, such as an engine ECU or an electric vehicle(EV) control ECU, to start up the vehicle without any additionalprocessing such as another authentication process by the authenticationprocessing unit 12. Moreover, when it is determined by the firstauthentication process that the authorized mobile device 20 is insidethe vehicle and a vehicle operation that does not require high securitysuch as changing a setting (for example, the seat position or metercolor) that is changeable for each user or outputting operation adviceis requested, the execution unit 13 executes such a vehicle operationbased on the result of the first authentication process. In addition,when it is determined by the first authentication process that theauthorized mobile device 20 is not inside the vehicle, even though avehicle operation is requested from the inside of the vehicle, theexecution unit 13 does not execute the requested vehicle operation, andoutputs an alarm or the like.

Further, when the authentication processing unit 12 determines by thefirst authentication process that the authorized mobile device 20 is notinside the vehicle and a vehicle operation that does not require highsecurity such as the door locking operation is requested, the executionunit 13 executes the requested vehicle operation on condition that it isdetermined by the second authentication process that the authorizedmobile device 20 is outside the vehicle. For example, when the useralights from the vehicle while carrying the mobile device 20 and closesthe door, it is determined that the authorized mobile device 20 is notinside the vehicle by executing the first authentication process inresponse to the closure of the door of the vehicle. In this case, whendoor locking is requested by the user's touching of the door handle, orthe like, and it is determined by the second authentication process ofthe authentication processing unit 12 that the authorized mobile device20 is outside the vehicle, the execution unit 13 requests a controldevice that controls locking and unlocking of the door, such as a bodycontrol ECU, or the like, to execute door locking. In addition, when itis determined by the second authentication process that the authorizedmobile device 20 is not outside the vehicle, even though a vehicleoperation is requested from the outside of the vehicle, the executionunit 13 does not execute the requested vehicle operation.

The communication unit 14 includes one or more transmitters thattransmit a radio signal, one or more receivers that receive a radiosignal, and one or more antennas (an indoor antenna and an outdoorantenna). The communication unit 14 transmits and receives the radiosignal to and from the mobile device 20 based on a request from theauthentication processing unit 12. When a mobile communication terminaldifferent from the mobile device 20 is used in the first authenticationprocess, the communication unit 14 is installed with a transmitter, areceiver, and an antenna of a communication system corresponding to theused mobile communication terminal.

Similar to the communication unit 14, the mobile device 20 includes atransmitter that transmits the radio signal, a receiver that receivesthe radio signal, and an antenna. The mobile device 20 transmits andreceives the radio signal to and from the communication unit 14.

The communication unit 14 and the mobile device 20 can transmit andreceive, for example, an LF signal and an RF signal. The communicationunit 14 and the mobile device 20 can execute a part or all of theabove-described communication in the first authentication process andthe second authentication process, by combining the LF signaltransmission and reception and the RF signal transmission and reception.

Control Process

Hereinafter, control process of the communication apparatus according tothe embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are flowcharts illustrating an exemplified controlprocess executed by the communication apparatus 10 illustrated inFIG. 1. The control process illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 isinitiated in response to detection, by the detection unit 11, of theclosure of the door of the vehicle.

Step S1: when the detection unit 11 detects the closure of the door ofthe vehicle, the authentication processing unit 12 executes the firstauthentication process via the communication unit 14. Thereafter, theprocess proceeds to step S2.

Step S2: the authentication processing unit 12 determines whether anauthorized mobile device 20 is inside the vehicle based on the result ofthe first authentication process. When the determination in step S2 isYES, the process proceeds to step S3, and when the determination isother than YES, the process proceeds to step S8 in FIG. 3.

Step S3: the execution unit 13 determines whether a vehicle operationhas been requested. When the determination in step S3 is YES, theprocess proceeds to step S4, and when the determination is other thanYES, the determination in step S3 is executed again.

Step S4: the execution unit 13 determines whether a terminationcondition of the control process illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 issatisfied. The termination condition is a condition which, after it isdetermined in step S2 that the authorized mobile device 20 is inside thevehicle and the requested vehicle operation is allowed to be executedbased on the determination result, invalidates the use of thedetermination result. For example, when the determination result is onlyvalid for a predetermined time after it is determined by the firstauthentication process that the authorized mobile device 20 is insidethe vehicle, the execution unit 13 determines that the terminationcondition is satisfied in step S4, when the predetermined time haspassed after the result of the determination in step S2 is determined tobe YES. Moreover, instead of, or in addition to, setting a valid periodof the determination result of the first authentication process, a statechange of any door of the vehicle may be set as the terminationcondition. Specifically, when the detection unit 11 determines that anydoor of the vehicle has changed from a closed state to an open state,the execution unit 13 determines that the termination condition issatisfied. When the determination in step S4 is YES, the process isterminated, and when the determination is other than YES, the processproceeds to step S5.

Step S5: the execution unit 13 determines a type of the vehicleoperation which has been requested in step S3. When the vehicleoperation which has been requested is other than the door lockingoperation, the process proceeds to step S6, and when the vehicleoperation which has been requested is the door locking operation, theprocess proceeds to step S7.

Step S6: the execution unit 13 executes the vehicle operation which hasbeen requested in step S3. In addition, the execution unit 13 executesthe process of step S6 when the authorized mobile device 20 is insidethe vehicle and the door is in a closed state. Therefore, it ispreferable that the vehicle operation that can be executed by theexecution unit 13 in step S6 is a vehicle operation that can berequested from the inside of the vehicle. Thereafter, the processproceeds to step S3, and the processes of steps S3 to S5 described aboveare executed.

Step S7: the execution unit 13 outputs an alarm without executing thevehicle operation which has been requested in step S3, i.e., the doorlocking operation requested from the outside of the vehicle. Theexecution unit 13 executes the process of step S7 when the authorizedmobile device 20 is inside the vehicle and door locking is requested.Accordingly, in step S7, the execution unit 13 outputs an alarm andnotifies the user that the mobile device 20 is inside the vehicle.Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S3, and the processes of stepsS3 to S5 described above are executed.

Step S8: the execution unit 13 determines whether the vehicle operationhas been requested. When the determination in step S8 is YES, theprocess proceeds to step S9, and when the determination is other thanYES, the determination in step S8 is executed again.

Step S9: the execution unit 13 determines the type of the vehicleoperation which has been requested in step S8. When the vehicleoperation which has been requested is door locking, the execution unit13 requests the authentication processing unit 12 to execute the secondauthentication process. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S10.Meanwhile, when the vehicle operation which has been requested is otherthan door locking, the process proceeds to step S13.

Step S10: the authentication processing unit 12 executes the secondauthentication process via the communication unit 14. Thereafter, theprocess proceeds to step S11.

Step S11: the authentication processing unit 12 determines whether theauthorized mobile device 20 is outside the vehicle based on the resultof the second authentication process. When the determination in step S11is YES, the process proceeds to step S12, and when the determination isother than YES, the process proceeds to step S13.

Step S12: the execution unit 13 executes the door locking operationwhich has been requested in step S8. Thereafter, the process isterminated.

Step S13: the execution unit 13 outputs an alarm without executing thevehicle operation which has been requested in step S8. For example, whenstarting up the vehicle is requested in step S8, the execution unit 13does not start up the vehicle, and outputs an alarm, thereby preventingan unauthorized use of the vehicle. Thereafter, the process isterminated.

Advantageous Effects and Others

The communication apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment usesthe first authentication process, which is executed, in response to theclosure of the door of the vehicle, when a vehicle operation for whichthe highest security is set, such as the start-up of the vehicle, isrequested to determine whether the authorized mobile device 20 is insidethe vehicle. When it is determined by the first authentication processthat the authorized mobile device 20 is inside the vehicle, based on thedetermination result, the execution unit 13 executes the requestedvehicle operation, no matter which vehicle operation that can berequested from the inside of the vehicle is requested. Accordingly, whenit is confirmed by the first authentication process that the authorizedmobile device 20 is inside the vehicle, since a re-authenticationprocess which is required when a vehicle operation is requested becomesunnecessary, the responsiveness to the request for the vehicle operationcan be improved. Further, the communication apparatus 10 according tothe present embodiment confirms that the authorized mobile device 20 isinside the vehicle by the first authentication process which has arelatively high reliability and is executed in response to the closureof the door of the vehicle. Therefore, even though the requested vehicleoperation is starting up of the vehicle, for which the highest securityis set, the vehicle can be started up without executing there-authentication process.

When a specific vehicle operation is requested from the outside of thevehicle (for example, door locking from the outside of the vehicle)after it has been determined by executing, in response to the closure ofthe door of the vehicle, the first authentication process that theauthorized mobile device 20 is not inside the vehicle, the communicationapparatus 10 according to the present embodiment determines whether theauthorized mobile device 20 is outside the vehicle by executing thesecond authentication process. When it is confirmed by the secondauthentication process that the authorized mobile device 20 is outsidethe vehicle, the communication apparatus 10 executes the specificvehicle operation (for example, door locking from the outside of thevehicle). In general, when door locking is requested from the outside ofthe vehicle, a process of confirming that the mobile device 20 is notinside the vehicle and a process of confirming that the mobile device 20is outside the vehicle are executed in order to determine the positionof the mobile device 20 with high accuracy. When the user carrying themobile device 20 alights from the vehicle and closes the door, thecommunication apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment confirmsthat the authorized mobile device 20 is not inside the vehicle, throughthe first authentication process that is executed in response to theclosure of the door of the vehicle. Accordingly, when door locking isrequested from the outside of the vehicle, the determination result thatthe authorized mobile device 20 is not inside the vehicle is used, andit is confirmed by the second authentication process that the authorizedmobile device 20 is outside the vehicle. Therefore, the communicationapparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can improveresponsiveness to a request for a specific vehicle operation from theoutside of the vehicle (i.e., reduce a time between when the specificvehicle operation is requested from the outside of the vehicle and whenthe specific vehicle operation is executed). When a vehicle operationthat does not require high security, such as door locking from theoutside of the vehicle, is requested, the communication apparatus 10according to the present embodiment executes door locking on conditionthat the authorized mobile device 20 is identified by the secondauthentication process, which has a relatively short processing time,which makes it possible to improve the responsiveness.

As described above, when it is determined by executing, in response tothe closure of the door, the first authentication process that theauthorized mobile device 20 is inside the vehicle, the communicationapparatus 10 according to the present embodiment executes the requestedvehicle operation without the re-authentication process when the vehicleoperation is requested by the user. Moreover, when a specific vehicleoperation is requested from the outside of the vehicle after it has beendetermined by executing, in response to the closure of the door, thefirst authentication process that the authorized mobile device 20 is notinside the vehicle, the communication apparatus 10 according to thepresent embodiment executes the requested vehicle operation when it isconfirmed by the second authentication process, that the authorizedmobile device 20 is outside the vehicle. Therefore, the communicationapparatus 10 of the present embodiment can improve the responsiveness toa request to execute the vehicle operation (that is, reduce a timebetween when the vehicle operation is requested and when the vehicleoperation is executed, in both the case in which a vehicle operationthat can be requested from the inside of the vehicle is requested, andthe case in which a specific vehicle operation is requested from theoutside of the vehicle. Specifically, the communication apparatus 10according to the present embodiment can shorten the time from therequest for the vehicle operation to the execution of the vehicleoperation by hundreds of milliseconds, by executing, in response to theclosure of the door, the first authentication process in advancecompared to the case in which the authentication process is executedafter the request for the vehicle operation. To further restrain anunauthorized use of the vehicle, it is required to further improve thereliability of the first authentication process. However, in this case,a time required for a communication or process is expected to increaseeven longer. Even when the time required to execute the firstauthentication process is increased, the communication apparatus 10according to the present embodiment exhibits sufficient responsivenessto a request for a vehicle operation.

Further, when it is determined, by executing, in response to the closureof the door, the first authentication process that the authorized mobiledevice 20 is inside the vehicle, the certainty that the authorizedmobile device 20 is inside the vehicle may be improved by confirmingthat the authorized mobile device 20 is not outside the vehicle byadditionally executing the second authentication process.

Moreover, in the above embodiment, an example in which the communicationapparatus 10 determines whether the authorized mobile device 20 isinside the vehicle by executing, in response to detection of the closureof the door of the vehicle, the first authentication process with arelatively high reliability is described. However, when it is requiredto determine that the authorized mobile device 20 is outside thevehicle, such as when unlocking of the vehicle door is requested,whether the authorized mobile device 20 is outside the vehicle can bedetermined by executing the first authentication process, in response todetection of entry of the authorized mobile device 20 into acommunication area of the communication apparatus 10, which is an areaoutside a vehicle cabin. Whether the authorized mobile device 20 enteredthe communication area of the communication apparatus 10 outside thevehicle cabin can be determined based on whether a response signal hasbeen transmitted from the mobile device 20 in response to a pollingsignal output by the communication apparatus 10. Alternatively, assumingthe door of the vehicle is unlocked, whether the authorized mobiledevice 20 is outside the vehicle may be determined by executing thefirst authentication process in response to a touch operation of a doorhandle or an operation of an operation unit of the mobile device 20.Further, when settlement process is possible via an information terminalin the vehicle, the first authentication process can be used todetermine whether a request for the settlement process has been made byan authorized user.

The present disclosure can be used for a communication apparatus mountedon a vehicle to authenticate the mobile device, an electronic key systemusing the communication apparatus, and the like.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication apparatus configured to executeauthentication via wireless communication with a mobile device, and,based on an authentication result, control execution of a vehicleoperation requested by a user, the communication apparatus comprising: adetection unit configured to detect closure of a door of a vehicle; anauthentication processing unit configured to determine, if the closureof the door of the vehicle is detected by the detection unit, whetherthe mobile device is inside the vehicle by executing a firstauthentication process via wireless communication, and determine whetherthe mobile device is outside the vehicle by executing a secondauthentication process different from the first authentication viawireless communication if (i) the first authentication processdetermines that the mobile device is not inside the vehicle and (ii) adoor locking operation is requested; and an execution unit configured toexecute the door locking operation for the vehicle if the secondauthentication process determines that the mobile device is outside thevehicle.
 2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe first authentication process includes checking first identificationinformation stored in the mobile device.
 3. The communication apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the second authentication process includeschecking second identification information stored in the mobile device.4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theauthentication processing unit is configured to execute the firstauthentication process based on information included in a responsesignal output from the mobile device in response to a request signal. 5.The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: acommunication unit configured to wirelessly transmit and receive a radiosignal to and from the mobile device, wherein a first number ofcommunications between the communication unit and the mobile device inthe first authentication process is higher than a second number ofcommunications between the communication unit and the mobile device inthe second authentication process.
 6. The communication apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a communication unitconfigured to wirelessly transmit and receive a radio signal to and fromthe mobile device, wherein a first frequency band that is used forcommunication between the communication unit and the mobile device inthe first authentication process is different from a second frequencyband that is used for communication between the communication unit andthe mobile device in the second authentication process.
 7. Thecommunication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first encryptionstrength used in the first authentication process is higher than asecond encryption strength used in the second authentication process. 8.The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the firstauthentication process includes a first communication between the mobiledevice and the authentication processing unit and a second communicationbetween another mobile device and the authentication processing unit. 9.The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the doorlocking operation is requested from outside of the vehicle, theexecution unit is further configured to not execute the door lockingoperation for the vehicle in response to a determination by the firstauthentication process that the mobile device is inside the vehicle. 10.The communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the executionunit is further configured to output an alarm in response to thedetermination by the first authentication process that the mobile deviceis inside the vehicle.
 11. The communication apparatus according toclaim 9, wherein the execution unit is further configured to notify theuser that the mobile device is inside of the vehicle in response to thedetermination by the first authentication process that the mobile deviceis inside the vehicle.
 12. The communication apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein when the door locking operation is requested fromoutside of the vehicle, the execution unit is further configured to notexecute the door locking operation for the vehicle if the secondauthentication process determines that the mobile device is not outsidethe vehicle.
 13. The communication apparatus according to claim 12,wherein the authentication processing unit is further configured tooutput an alarm in response to the determination by the secondauthentication process that the mobile device is not outside thevehicle.
 14. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe first authentication process is completed before the door lockingoperation is requested.
 15. The communication apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the execution unit is further configured to not executethe door locking operation for the vehicle in response to adetermination that any door of the vehicle is in an open state afterreceiving the door locking operation.
 16. The communication apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein when the door locking operation isrequested from inside of the vehicle, the execution unit is furtherconfigured to execute the door locking operation for the vehicle if thefirst authentication process determines that the mobile device is insidethe vehicle.
 17. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the authentication processing unit is further configured toexecute the second authentication processing in response to adetermination by the first authentication processing that the mobiledevice is inside of the vehicle.
 18. The communication apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the first authentication process and thesecond authentication process authenticate whether the mobile device isan authorized mobile device.
 19. A communication method of executingauthentication via wireless communication with a mobile device, and,based on an authentication result, controlling execution of a vehicleoperation requested by a user, by a communication apparatus, thecommunication method comprising: detecting closure of a door of avehicle; determining, if the closure of the door of the vehicle isdetected, whether the mobile device is inside the vehicle by executing afirst authentication process via wireless communication; determiningwhether the mobile device is outside the vehicle by executing a secondauthentication process different from the first authentication processvia wireless communication if (i) the first authentication processdetermines that the mobile device is not inside the vehicle and (ii) adoor locking operation is requested; and executing the door lockingoperation for the vehicle if the second authentication processdetermines that the mobile device is outside the vehicle.
 20. Anon-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executableby one or more processors and that cause the one or more processors toperform functions comprising: detecting closure of a door of a vehicle;determining, if the closure of the door of the vehicle is detected,whether a mobile device is inside the vehicle by executing a firstauthentication process via wireless communication; determining whetherthe mobile device is outside the vehicle by executing a secondauthentication process different from the first authentication processvia wireless communication if (i) the first authentication processdetermines that the mobile device is not inside the vehicle and (ii) adoor locking operation is requested; and executing the door lockingoperation for the vehicle if the second authentication processdetermines that the mobile device is outside the vehicle.